Get Your First Bike Shop Job & Keep It!

[@99EMERSONIC99]

I usually teach interns how to clean, grease and adjust shimano low end hubs and have them work on that for as much as possible, if they dont complain and get fast and good at it, THEN I'll start teaching them more. If they dont have the patience to work on a low end hub, they won't have the patience with anything else.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

I definitely would agree there and adjusting cup and cone hubs is a great way to develop finesse too!

[@threeeightsixeight]

I love bikes and work in a bike shop. I am in high school right now and going to graduate this year. honesty, I dont think i could ever see myself doing this as a career. I would rather keep this as a hobby and fix peoples bikes out of my garage and work in another career path (im going to work in HVAC). anyways, I loved the video and thought you made some great points, have a good one my man! the point about personality is amazing. working with an introvert in a bike shop is miserable! you need to be funny and outgoing, this will help with talking to fellow techs or customers. I have never seen a person who is shy and introverted get a job as a bike tech.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

HVAC is a great trade! Believe it or not but I am actually super introverted in most situations and working in a bike shop is what helped me get over being shy. I am the type of introvert that is good with one on one conversation and enjoy it but it does physically wear me out by the end of the day though. I think like most things, if its something we want to make work, with enough effort we can find ways to make it work. As much as I enjoy the industry, it is very tough to make a good career out of it unless you transition towards working for manufacturers or OK living fairly frugal. This is a big part of why we are working on building a small machine shop to supplement the bike shop and help with manufacturing the tools we design in house. I hope to get back to posting proper KZbin videos here soon and will definitely make a "what's new in the shop" video giving more of those details.

[@threeeightsixeight]

@@ChrisMurrayEWC definitely agree! I had been working on bikes for almost all my life so landing a job at a shop was a joke for me. have a good one.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

@@threeeightsixeight you do the same!

[@MrJohn5ton]

Great video, really good advice. Your business and career advice actually transcends the bike industry, it's universally great advice.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Thank you! While the bike industry can be pretty nuanced, a lot of core ideas like being willing to learn, have a good attitude and take care of your customers will apply to just about every industry out there!

[@jasonwest3283]

One way I'm building my chops is by scouring different apps for bikes that would be good candidates for a complete rebuild. You can pick up some absolute steals because people get rid of perfectly good bikes with minor issues; issues that make them unridable but are such a simple fix for those in the know or are willing to learn. I've picked up some vintage Raleigh 3- speeds, cheap mountain bikes, old Western Flyer or Huffy beach cruisers, for $35/average, learned about Sturmey Archer servicing, learned about best methods for removing rust, polishing metal, powdercoat painting, chain waxing, indexing, brake adjustment, 1x conversions, wheel building (thanks Chris!), you name it-it's out there. I'm gaining tons of knowledge and experience, working in/on the niche I'm focused on, and paying myself $200/net on each build. What is not to love about that? I'll spin that experience gained into certifications, and those certifications into added customer confidence, add that to a 'going the extra mile' reputation, and never 'work' another day in my life!

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Great move Jason! I have always been a believer that fixing older, neglected bikes is really the best way to build proper mechanical skills. Modern parts that are not damaged are easy to make work but making those old 3 speeds shift again that have been neglected for decades will really build your skills. Definitely a bonus when you can make some money while doing it! I think you will do well in this game man.

[@jasonwest3283]

Chris Murray Thanks Chris! I’m certainly hoping so and putting in my wrench time. I have a passion for vintage rebuilds, customs, and touring bikes. I literally have bike related dreams every night. I think this is starting to border on obsession?

[@marcog6539]

Thanks for the advice, this summer I am going to try to get a job at my local shop

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Awesome! This will be a good year to try and get into the industry as I expect service to be way up from normal.

[@Raidenkz400]

Hey there. I'm 29 and just picked up mtb (specifically emtb). This is the hobby of my dreams and I love it. I feel so alive since I discovered it. Am I too old to work in a bike shop? I mean I have tons of customer service, years and years. I already have a connection with the manager because he is my personal mechanic, and our chats last at least an hour every visit. I feel I have the attitude for it but I also feel my age will hinder me from actually snagging a side job there.

[@Andrew_Fit7]

Hey there! I'm 13 years old now, and looking to get a job next summer when I'm fourteen at my local bike shop. Super cool older guy that runs it, and it really seems like a nice environment. I've always been interested in simple mechanics since I was little, so yes, I think this would be a great job for me. I'm not looking for money. I really want to just have something to do that I enjoy. I also have a program that I am in that requires service hours. I was thinking (thanks to this video) that maybe this winter I could volunteer there for a couple hours on a Saturday (in winter of course), that way they know me, they know my work ethic, and I think that would give me training, knowledge, and overall a better shot at getting the job summer 2025. Please let me know if there's anything I missed or anything I could do differently or better to in a sense secure the job. Thank you for the video, and please reply if you can.

[@Advancingbeing]

Really appreciate you bro ❤

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

I appreciate you!

[@rickbrozowski5999]

Thanks Great advice and a common sense approach. Appreciated!

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Thank you!

[@georgeweckesser9351]

Hi Chris. I've been rebuilding bikes I find around my apartment building it might take me 10 bikes to make one great bike. But I've never worked in a shop before and I always want to do you have any suggestions for me? Been working on bicycle since I was 9 now 37. I really like your video keep it up.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Thank you! I think you have a great base to get started. If you have shops in your area I would just start talking with them and see if they are hiring. Expect to start on the entry level side of things until you get more time in the shops but just be pleasant to deal with, flexible and willing to learn. This late in the season (at least in our region) may be tough to land a job but late winter or early spring of 2021 is usually a great time to start applying or talking to shops. Best of luck!

[@ZRMTB]

Some great tips and information. Thank you!

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

My pleasure!

[@222remy]

It might be different in other places or I must have been real lucky but he makes it sound a little more scary than it normally is. The shop i work at isn't that stressful. I get to build new bikes, repair, and sell bikes.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

I hope I didn't make it sound to scary. Just wanted to let people know that it may take some persistence if you don't already have experience. Thankfully all the shops I have worked at were always super friendly but there were things new people would do that would drive us crazy sometimes.

[@kris4645]

9-10 hours per day 8-12 Saturday's Under paid, under appreciated,never having time to ride and be outside,in the nature,on the trails..No thanks! It may be different,on the West,but here where I live, being a bike mechanic,is not considered a good payed job! I am extremely interested in learning the trade, knowing anything about how to fix the bike,but there are always the obstacle 🤣

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

It's definitely not a high paying career outside of a few exceptions. There is definitely a reason a lot of others go into the manufacturer side of the industry or eventually leave to other careers. I do enjoy the industry but there is a reason I am working on starting a machine shop to go along with the bike shop these days.

[@kris4645]

@@ChrisMurrayEWC Greetings from Croatia 😊 I'm on the modest income with my current job also..But mechanics are paid even less, it depends on the bike shop, I guess.. I would love to learn how to fix bikes, electric bikes, naturally also, but where I live,the demand for the mechanics,is very limited! People here, still prefer their cars! Especially slow at the winter,much less people riding their bikes! To lazy,I guess! I ride every single day, I have no car,love the bikes since I was like 6 years old! Greetings from Kris 🙂

[@alonsomedina2582]

what can i do if im only 15 and still in school? can i still get a job?

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

I think it varies a bit by location. When I was 15 I had to get a special permit to work from my school I believe so I would research that a bit. Other than that, you can always ask around local shops in the area and see if they could use an entry level mechanic, if not you can always offer to intern for free to gain experience but if none of those are options you can learn surprisingly a lot by finding used/broken bikes on Facebook/Craigslist/etc, fix them and flip them for a profit. You will learn a lot doing that and make a little extra money to go with it. Good luck!

[@alonsomedina2582]

@@ChrisMurrayEWC Thanks!

[@WrightBrosDJs]

Excellent video man I already work at one but enjoyed this video lots of great tips for newcomers, bang on advice 💚

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

@@WrightBrosDJs thanks man!

[@strykeplaysmcjohnpickhypix1205]

@@ChrisMurrayEWC the fixing up broken bikes thing off of craiglist is super helpful. Often I am worried to do bike maintenance on my bike in fear of messing it up, but by gineu pigging another bike i might not have to fear this. thx for the advice

[@danielschnax6620]

I am asking myself about getting my second bike shop job. For over 1 year I have my first bike shop job, but want to evolve. Most of the time I build new bikes and it's kinda boring

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

Just building bikes all day can definitely get boring. Have you talked with your management about moving into more repairs beyond what you currently do? Sometimes that is all it takes but there are times when some shops really just need a bike builder only too.

[@danielschnax6620]

@@ChrisMurrayEWC thanks for advice Chris! I will find a way. things over here in germany are a bit different in terms of buisness.

[@ChrisMurrayEWC]

@@danielschnax6620 that wouldn't surprise me at all!